Monika: Today I have the pleasure of presenting to you a talented musician from the sunny state of California. Jaycee Frances is an American guitarist and former member of such bands as Chaintown, The Next, Crucifix, Proudflesh, The White Trash Debutantes, Piston and Fang. Hello Jaycee! Rock & Roll never dies, Sister!
Jaycee: Hello Monika, Yes! Rock & Roll lives forever. It’s a pleasure meeting you and thank you for inviting me to be part of your focus on the wonders of Transgender.
Monika: How did you become a guitarist? Do you remember your first guitar?
Jaycee: My first guitar was a snare drum and sticks! Lol… I started out as a drummer and one of my two older sisters Kim had an acoustic guitar and I sorta borrowed it like I did her clothing and bicycle and made it my guitar. I painted it blue and I put fuzzy hang ten surfer feet stickers on it to disguise it. (This was in the 1970s) so that was my first guitar. Then my dad bought me a cherry red 1967 Gibson SG special and I traded it for a Flying V.
Monika: Jimi Page used to say that every guitar player inherently has something unique about their playing. They just have to identify what makes them different and develop it. Have you done it yourself?
Jaycee: Yes, I believe I have my own sound. I’m left-handed and learned to play with the strings upside down so I have a slow sluggish style with peculiar note placement with smooth wobbly vibrato to my playing and I believe my phrasing is very percussive because I was a drummer originally.
Monika: Crucifix was a legendary American hardcore punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area, active from 1980 to 1984. Being among the most popular acts of the San Francisco punk scene of the early 1980s, the band was distinct among American underground bands for their strong D-beat musical characteristics and anarchist lyrical content and graphic design. How did you join the band?
Jaycee: Before I joined Crucifix I was a long hair rock guitarist but I cut my hair in a Mohawk style once for Halloween. One day I was on my way to Los Angeles to audition for a hair band and I stopped off at a club in San Francisco The Mabuhay Gardens where my other sister Betty worked, and I got drunk, meet the punk band Crucifix that was playing, who were awful by the way, and I missed my flight to Los Angeles and instead joined Crucifix at the request of a friend to help them out. This was in 1981.
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| "I didn’t pay a very high price for coming out." |
Monika: How has your career evolved since you left Crucifix?
Jaycee: After Crucifix I joined a signed band in Hollywood with my good friend Danny and played out there in the late 80s opening up shows for bands like Blue Oyster Cult, The Outlaws, The Jesus and Mary Chain etc…
In addition, I and Sothira from Crucifix continued on after Crucifix as Proudflesh and released one EP in 1988 and one album in 2006; we were active from 1985 until 2020. In 2014 we did an underground Crucifix reunion/tribute band called 1984/Crucifix and played two sold-out shows in the USA: one in Oakland and one in Santa Ana, and then we took the project to Japan to play six shows in 2015.
Looking back I also played and recorded one record with my band The Next and we played a few shows including a performance with Jame Williamson from Iggy & The Stooges joining us on stage for a Stooges tune Search & Destroy. I was also in a popular punk band called Fang in 2002-2007 and we toured the USA a few times.
Going back to 1993 I introduced myself as a drag queen/trans woman named Sabrina Thunders when I was in a band called The White Trash Debutantes. We toured the USA in 1995 and we were on The Jerry Springer Show for having an 83-year-old punk rock granny (Punk Rock Patty) singing with us. And then after I left that band I started an all-girl band as Sabrina called Piston in 1997-98 but when I switched back to my Punk boy Jimmy Crucifix the girls were upset because my attitude and musical direction also changed, so we broke up and they became Fabulous Disaster. Piston released an EP in 1998-99.
Monika: And now?
Jaycee: Now I am a solo independent musician and I play mandolin in a hobby band called The Lunch Club. I also operated and still operate a successful rehearsal studio in San Francisco and have been doing this for the last 35 years. The studio is called Lennon Studios. My friend/partner roommate is also my boss and business partner and for the last 35 years we’ve worked and lived together. Next year we celebrate our 40-year anniversary of the studio lennonstudios.com, which we opened on Sept 1st, 1984.
Monika: Do you give any concerts? Where can we see your live performances?
Jaycee: I’ve only played 3 times since Covid 19 shut down live music. once at The Haight Ashbury Street fair with The Eddie Jennings Memorial Lunch Club Band. And 2 times with The Next. These shows were my first 3 shows as an openly transgender woman named Jaycee Frances after I came out as transgender. My last show as a boy was my 60th Birthday party with Proudflesh on March 22 2019 and that was also our last-ever farewell show. You can find stuff on YouTube under Jimmy Crucifix/ Haight Ashbury street fair/ Eddie Jennings’s lunch club band / Crucifix 1984/ Proudflesh, The Next, Fang, etc, etc.
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| "I felt feminine and I knew where to go to be feminine but I always landed back at square one." |
Jaycee: I started running from the get-go! My parents took me to a doctor when I was 12-13 years old to address abnormal breast growth and when the doctor said they needed to do further testing to determine if maybe I had female as well as male intersex issues, I ran away across the parking lot to a shopping mall to hide and where the security guards picked me up and brought me back to the doctors.
I ended up on a testosterone/steroid and blockers program for about 4-5 years until after puberty. They didn’t have transgender then it was hermaphrodite and later transsexual. And I saw magazines referring to us as she-males and transvestites. I didn’t identify as either and I only figured I had low testosterone and high estrogen levels and was just a weird Bi Boy.
I was obviously frustrated by gender dysphoria and had mood swings between the boy and the girl who I was. Luckily I had music to keep me occupied and distracted but I was still running from it. I felt feminine and I knew where to go to be feminine but I always landed back at square one. I always had a girlfriend but they were always frustrated by my lack of interest in the opposite sex and would often accuse me of being gay… I thought I was gay or bisexual for many years but I also loved wearing women’s clothing and makeup and wanted to be a woman. I loved drag queens and I was attracted to men that looked feminine. That’s why I loved Rock n' Roll in the 70s, the girls’ super bells, and girls’ French cut T-shirts.
Monika: We all pay the highest price for the fulfillment of our dreams to be ourselves. As a result, we lose our families, friends, jobs, and social positions. Did you pay such a high price as well? What was the hardest thing about your coming out?
Jaycee: Luckily as far as I know I didn’t pay a very high price for coming out, it was actually less expensive than my breast augmentation LoL... Seriously though, the hardest part of coming out for me was the fear! Fear of losing everything, fear of being laughed at and made fun of but most of all fear of losing my family, friends, and the life I had created that everyone was familiar and comfortable with. I thought I would be embarrassed but I talked to my friend/partner roommate Carole about it first then I drank a ton of booze and posted it on social media along with some Risqué pictures of myself in dresses and I just let it settle over a weekend.
I had done drag in the past and I was always a rebel and I really wasn’t sure what I was saying... Am I transgender or am I bisexual or gay? I wanted it all to be known so I could be myself and people would think twice before using discriminating comments and remarks in my presence about LGBTQ+ people. And I was hoping this would also open opportunities towards new friendships with those who never realized these facts about my sexuality and me. Being a bisexual transgender woman.
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| "I believe I have my own sound." |
Monika: Why did you choose Jaycee for your name?
Jaycee: My original birth name is Francis James Smith and I’ve always gone by Jimmy to sound more male, later in life I changed it to Francis J. Schmith to sound more feminine and German. then my friend/partner roommate Carole named me Jimmy Crucifix about 35 years ago because of my band CRUCIFIX. She always called me JC or Jayce, short for Jimmy Crucifix.
Many friends would also use JC to refer to me. When I first (almost) sorta came out in 1993 I changed it to Sabrina Thunders. Then after my 2021 transition when I changed my name again, it was just Frances J. Schmith but my driver's license said Franes James Schmith… So I legally changed it and added Jaycee instead of James making my new court order name Frances Jaycee Schmith. I thought Jaycee would make it easier for all my friends and family to adjust to the new name and the new me. Now I just use Jaycee Frances socially and all my documents have Frances Jaycee Schmith as my legal name and my signature stays the same.
Monika: Was your family surprised by your transition?
Jaycee: My family was surprised but very supportive and they all said they kinda knew it all along and were happy for me. They all sent me cards and gifts, trans flag bracelets and they all call me sis!! They’ve been the best ever and now I wish I hadn’t been so frightened before so I could have done this transition sooner.
Monika: Are you satisfied with the effects of the hormone treatment?
Jaycee: I’ve only been on HRT for 17 months and being an older transgender person the effects are very minimal. My gender dysphoria has calmed down and I’ve had some breast development but that’s all I’ve noticed. I’ve had low testosterone all my life and even less after radiation therapy and chemo from a bout with cancer in 2018. My body produces its own estrogen so I take very little estradiol.
I’ve had my top and bottom surgery so I’ve stopped taking Spironolactone for a testosterone blocker and I use it for blood pressure only. I also take Progesterone. I’ll see what happens after the 2-year mark. I might be too old for the HRT to have any visible effects or to make any noticeable body changes. I’ve had noticeable breast growth but I still have no hips, thighs, or butt! I’m as thin as a rail and my belly has got flabby…
Monika: We are said to be prisoners of passing or non-passing syndrome. Although cosmetic surgeries help to overcome it, we will always be judged accordingly. How can we cope with this?
Jaycee: When I first transitioned this bothered me. When I was a young boy I was always mistaken as a little girl. After years of self-abuse and broken noses along with not aging well, I’m not the least bit passable. I have to use makeup daily and women’s glasses and sunglasses help in the daytime. Now I just figure “Ya know what? I’m a transgender woman and these people who misgender me are the same people who gawked at me when I had a one foot Mohawk in 1982! I’m different! I’m unique I’m cool! I’m a transgender woman and proud of who I am. They can be rude, ignorant, or just unintentionally mistaken and I’m still me. It has an impact on my feelings but I’m not gonna ruin my day and dwell on it. I have gender dysphoria and I’m done suffering and I’m just learning how to live my life openly transgender. I’m waiting for my first facial feminization procedure on my nose this July.
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| "I’m a transgender woman and proud of who I am." |
Monika: Do you remember the first time you saw a transgender woman on TV or met anyone transgender in person that opened your eyes and allowed you to realize who you are?
Jaycee: My first introduction to anyone resembling a transgender woman would actually be an encounter with a friend's brother Mitchell who was gay and was very feminine and it was he who actually introduced me to drag when he would dress up and sing along and dance to records for me. He walked, talked, looked, and acted very much like a woman. At this time in my life, I was already aware of my gender problems and sexuality and I was very curious to learn more.
Mitchell and me got together one evening and we stayed up all night talking, and he told me all about his experiences doing drag shows and talked about the transsexuals and the bath houses in San Francisco but I had yet to meet any transgender women personally. We continued to maintain a secret relationship, and eventually he took me to San Francisco and I actually meet a few transsexual women but this was in the 1970’s so it was all mixed with drag queens and pretty boys and I really couldn’t differentiate it all back then.
This was when I realized I wanted to be part of this. I was so young and going through so much at the time that I had no idea how to reinvent myself or how to change my life from a normal kid and move into this lifestyle. It was this introduction to the gay community in San Francisco that introduced me to the punk community and the rest is history.
Monika: Did you have any transgender sisters around you that supported you during the transition?
Jaycee: Yes I did, I had my friend Dominique whom I’ve known since the early ’80s. And I was introduced to a local Native American transwoman who told me all about HRT but I lost contact with her.
I have a therapist, who is very supportive and I have a large group of LGBTQ friends who are fully supportive. It’s been great finding out how many people care and love me. Overwhelming it’s been with support.
Monika: What do you think about the present situation of transgender women in your country?
Jaycee: It’s a difficult time in America now that we’ve been introduced to division and hate by our former administration. Everything is Left or Right, Now we have “Fake Trans” “Woke Trans” etc etc…. The same political crap I was escaping when I came out followed me to the other side of the rainbow. I think everyone has too much time on their hands and spends too much time on social media being keyboard warriors and trans activists.
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| "I sometimes think of going wild." |
I float in the middle left. I’m Transgender/Transsexual and I support the LGBTQ community. Just like every community there are going to be those who disagree and those who see things differently and that’s what community is, many voices, many opinions and lots of contradictions. Communities work things out together. Unfortunately with social media and media you have no idea who’s saying what and you have those craving attention and using the media to voice opinions reflecting on the LGBTQ Community just like politicians speaking on behalf of religions they don’t even believe in.
END OF PART 1
All photos: courtesy of Jaycee Frances.
© 2023 - Monika Kowalska
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